The glorious late spring weather we've been enjoying over the last week could come to a close this weekend.
Highs of 15 degrees Celsius could make way for lows approaching zero as a cold polar air mass sweeps down over Ireland.
In a warning to gardeners, widespread frost is a possibility on Sunday night, with nighttime temperatures dipping well below freezing.
Commenting on the possible cold spell, Carlow Weather's Alan O'Reilly said that the blast should only stick around for "a few days" before warmer weather from the south eventually wins out.
If you feel inspired to get the garden furniture out and put away the winter coat you might want to hold off. The weather models are showing a late blast of cold Northerly air heading our way from Sunday for a few days! Animation shows upper air temp forecast. pic.twitter.com/O0IOyODjcA
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) April 17, 2023
In a later tweet, O'Reilly likened the forecast weather set-up to a "battleground scenario" with both the cold and warm fronts battling it out over Ireland.
"The cold looks like it could make it to the midlands but then get pushed back, however [this is] far from certain at present. Most likely a brief cold blast", he said.
Battleground scenario now for next week with cold to the North and warmth to the South. The cold looks like it could make it to the midlands but then get pushed back however far from certain at present. Most likely a brief cold blast before warmer air wins out🤞 pic.twitter.com/w0vsjKZAud
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) April 19, 2023
Beyond Monday, Met Éireann is forecasting milder but wetter weather with frequent spells of heavy rain. Our advice? Get out there and enjoy the sunny weather while you can!